Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-09-03
THE MYSTERIOUS SANTA FE.
Major Bonebrake's Visit and the
Woodard Road Form n story.


The short strip of railroad that is tc
be built from Seminary Park station
on the Central Pacific and Past Laun-
dry farm may be of more significance
than might at first be supposed. Col
onel Woodland is the ostensible head
of the scheme, but yesterday Major
Bonebrake, the most prominent di.
rector of the California Central road,
was out making a minute examination
of the proposed road. AS Major Bone
brake has recently returned from a
business conference with President
Strong, of the Santa Fe, at Boston, his
actions of yesterday may be OF some
m )ment.
The extreme probability { f the Santa
Fe securing an entrance into this city
under the cover of some apparently
separate company building short
line of its course makes it all the more
interesting to watch such schemes as
that of Woodard's. Then again the
Santa Fe Railroad Company has only
recently floated new issue $40, ,OOO,-
600 in bonds, which are secured by
the railway properties of the company
in Southern California, and no doubt
some Of the money will be used In
building line up through the State
in the near future.
Major Bonebrake is just as evasive
as railroad man could wish to be to
an interviewer.
"Is the Santa Fe backing Woodland ?"
he was asked, and he replied:
at is probable; but, on my own
information l could not say"
''Did you come up from Los Ange-
les to inspect that proposed little
roadP'
"Well, 1 came up simply to see
what it looked like, and while it does
not present every desirable facility for
terminus for a big road,
there are some good points about
it. It would not do for the
Santa Fe people to tell how they
are going to get into this city, because
it would then cost them more for a
right of way than to bui,d the entire
road up through the State. They look
at every proposition in hope of getting
to desirable locality. The best that
can be obtained will then be taken.
That is what the Santa Fe will do to
get here. l have not the least idea of
whether it will come into Oakland or
up the peninsula into the southern
portion OF San Francisco; nor when.
Suffice it to say that grounds of econ
ket will altogether determine
the time. AS far as surveys
indicate anything, the Santa Fe peo-
pie nor any one connected with them
have not made a survey further north
than into Ventura county, and to
make definite survey up through
California will entail vast amount of
preliminary work. But the policy of
the company is to build in small sec
tions, as the interests and local busi-
ness of any locality may demand or
justify"
care you to become director in
the Woodard company
81 may, but really have not the
least idea whether l will or can, for
that matter"
Major Bonebrake refused to talk
longer about the Santa Fe, but there
is every indication that the company
will, under the cover of Woodard's
scheme, run an additional survey from
Seminary Park westward along the
flats south of Oakland, and another
east from Fruitvale, and then south
beyond Haywards. The report Of his
work as made by the engineer, to-
gether with Major Bonebrake's recon-
mendations, will determine whether
the company thinks this route better
than those heretofore proposed.-[S.
+. Examiner.